Heirloombulbgirl

Tag: Oxblood Lily

  • The Many Seasons of the Texas Gardener

    Feast or Famine.
    That’s what life is like in a Texas garden. One day, it can be 115 degrees with every plant in the garden sadly drooping, on the verge of death. The very next day, a delightful rain replenishes the parched earth and fills the garden with hope. Gardeners in Texas need to be tough, and so do their gardens. I can’t tell you how many times I threaten to throw in the shovel, and then….just like that, the weather changes (so does my attitude).

    Seasons in Texas are minimal….we have Summer.
    Light Summer, Heavy Summer and every other variety of Summer you can possibly imagine. Occasionally, we have a quick change of seasons, but if you blink, you might miss the change. Instead of moaning and groaning over the lack of seasonal change, I began associating seasons with the blooms of Heirloom Bulbs. My Texas Seasons have become Oxblood Lily Season, Crinum Season, Rain Lily Season, Paperwhite Season….well, you get the drift. 

    Flower Bulbs are truly a gift to the Texas Gardener. Bulbs rest quietly under the earth, sleeping peacefully through extreme weather conditions. I’m always surprised by the Fall showing of Oxbloods and Spider Lilies after a brutal summer. I honestly don’t even know how the bulbs survive, but somehow they do. I tend to be a garden “naturalist”, so I like to invest in Native Plants and Heirloom Bulbs that are proven winners. Over the years, I’ve wasted way too much money on forcing flowers to grow in wrong zones, just because of garden nostalgia. As much as I love Dutch Tulips, they simply won’t come back in Texas. Lucky for you, Lady Tulips will naturalize in our area so if you are desperate to plant Tulips, there ya go!

    Seasons change….not so much in Southern Gardens like Texas. Invest your time and energy into plants and flower bulbs that will bring a smile to your face and joy to your gardening heart. Seasons don’t have to be minimal and boring. Just ask any bulb enthusiast. 🙂

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl


  • If You Give a Gardener a Flower

    If you give a Gardener a flower, she’s going to need a shovel to go with it.

    While looking for her favorite shovel, the Gardener walked right over the garden hose, and she remembered that she left the sprinkler on.

    After moving the sprinkler, the Gardener saw the beautiful Heirloom Lilac that she re-rooted last year. Seeing the Heirloom Lilac, the Gardener thought about moving the Lilacs to make room for her new flower.


    While digging up the Lilacs, the Gardener remembered the large rose bush that died in the drought. What a perfect time to move the dead rose bush and relocate the Lilacs!


    While digging up the rose bush, the Gardener got a thorn in her finger.
    While the Gardener tried to get the thorn out, she remembered the thorn she got after moving her lovely Martha Gonzales Antique Rose Bush.
    The Gardener decided to dig up the Martha Gonzales rose to plant something, although she wasn’t quite sure what.


    While digging up the Martha Gonzales Rose, the Gardener decided to move the entire bed of Ellen Bosenquat Crinum and Oxblood Lilies, which would naturally be the perfect spot for the beautiful Antique Rose Bush.


    While digging up the Heirloom Bulbs, the Gardener accidentally dug into the heavy oil cloth that had been used for the pond that didn’t work out.
    The Gardener stopped everything she was doing and started digging out the heavy oil cloth, in order to use the cloth to cover the compost to save moisture during the summer.


    While digging out the oil cloth, the Gardener got tired and put her shovel down…right next to the pretty little flower that she was given to plant.
    The Gardener reached down, picked up the flower and gave it a drink.


    If you give a Gardener a flower, she’s going to need a shovel to go with it. 
    So the Gardener picked up her shovel and walked through the garden, looking for the perfect spot to plant the flower. (True story….can you relate?!)

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl

  • What to do with Oxblood Lily Foliage


    There are few flowers that have such an emotional attachment to them as the Oxblood Lily. These flowers bloom after the long, drought-stricken summer. Oxbloods are a beautiful symbol for the promise of cooler weather. Total redemption in the garden happens in a few short weeks after the first rainfall in early Fall. The gardens turn from a crisp brown to a luxurious crimson red. It’s incredible! But, after the flowers fade, the gardener is left with long, scrappy green foliage that seems to sprawl over everything trying to grow. Lily foliage can commonly look unkept and weed-like. My Father-in-Law says it best….. “When are you gonna pull those weeds?!”

    I’ve realized that the common eye cannot appreciate the beautiful growth of the dark green foliage. The foliage is the energy for the next years’s flower. Never ever cut it back, no matter how times your Father-in-Law says so. I have begun to arrange my lilies purposefully throughout the garden. There can be little mistake that the lilies are part of the whole garden plan.

    Yesterday, I stole a few moments of quiet in the gardens before traveling to my In-Laws’ farm for Thanksgiving. I spent my time weeding and moving Oxbloods. Last year, I had decided to line all the garden paths with Oxblood Lilies. The intentional placement of the lilies really showcases the foliage.
    I’ve been told that I move flower bulbs like other people move furniture. Boredom sets in, and I grab a shovel. There are a lot of bulbs to line a lot of pathway, so I’m never bored for long.

    I think that lilies look best in clumps. Lilies are like people, they need each other to thrive. I keep my lilies in groups of about 5-10 bulbs. I give the bulbs in each clump room to grow. Oxblood Lilies grow in all kinds of conditions, but they really enjoy water during their growing season (aka…the green, strappy foliage). Let the foliage grow wild and carefree, but contained in the overall landscape plan. Remember, the foliage is the energy for next year’s flower. Foliage actually is the most important part of the bulb cycle. The flower is simply a gift to the gardener…a bulb’s way of saying “thank-you” for all the nutrients and love provided the past year.

    There is a very high probability that I will be digging today at the farm. The family Thanksgiving dinner will happen around 3 pm, so I have plenty of time to get my hands in the dirt.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl




  • A Well Watered Garden

    “The LORD guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones. You shall be like a watered garden. And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” -Isaiah 58:11


    What can be better than a well watered garden?
    For most gardens, water is essential to life. Not just floral life, but all life. Without good, healthy water, gardens suffer. In many regions, water restrictions have become the norm. Watching gardens dry up before your eyes is brutal. Even the soul of the gardener feels the drought.

    For many years, I enjoyed the luxury of a well. Rumor has it, our old well was one of the few water sources for our town during the severe drought in the 1950’s. The well ran deep, the gardens flourished and my soul was continually satisfied. In 2018, after a catastrophic flood, our family relocated to higher ground. The gardens were one of the only things to survive the flood. I poured myself into salvaging heirloom bulbs.

    The new gardens at the studio seem to limp along. Nothing was flourishing. The soil was poor, the water was harsh and my soul became increasingly dissatisfied. I missed my well watered garden. Although flowers still bloomed, there was a difference I couldn’t put my finger on. Then the drought came, and the roses died. Everything seemed to die overnight. I couldn’t figure it out, so I did a little experiment. I dug up a distressed, heat-loving native and watered it with some rain water I had collected. The very next day, I had new growth. Unbelievable. I tried everything in my power to provide small amounts of rain water for my gardens, but it simply wasn’t enough. Hauling small buckets of dechlorinated water was time consuming, and the gardens still struggled. The drought took its toll.

    Fast forward a few years….

    ”Keenan, you really need a well.”
    Fast forward a few more months….”Keenan, I’m getting you a well.”

    The Lord definitely moves in mysterious ways. My friend’s heart became obedient to a random prompting from the Lord. Through the Lord’s sheer graciousness, I now have a “spring of water, whose waters never fail.”
    Through the Lord’s guidance, the gardens can now be a place of abundance in the Agape Haus Community Garden. Children can enjoy cut flowers and peaceful walks through the studio grounds. I get to watch, before my eyes, God’s restoration of a barren land.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!

    May the Lord satisfy your soul in times of drought. May He strengthen your bones. May you be like a watered garden. Like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl

  • Growing Oxblood Lily Seeds


    I find it so amazing that some of the original old German Oxblood Lilies will actually reseed. I love everything about the Oxblood Lily, and this fun little fact will help multiply your bulb population in no time!
    For those of you who are new to Heirloom Bulbs, Oxblood Lilies are not supposed to produce viable seed. In fact, if you ask Google if Oxblood Lilies will reseed, the answer is no, but clearly some do. I found this oddly fascinating and spent some time experimenting on the best way to germinate Oxblood Lily seeds.

    After the lily flower blooms, watch for a seed pod that develops. The seed pod will resemble rain lily seed pods. A little trifold package that will grow into maturity if conditions are right. Seed pods will continue to grow and eventually split open, revealing beautiful black little wafer-like seeds. Most of the time, the pod will simply fail to grow, dry up and fall off. I have found that the bulbs enjoy a lot of water during their seed production. The bulbs also prefer cooler temperatures as well….although, these are just my theories. I have some bulbs in full sun that produced viable seed, and some in shade that did not. Weird.

    Once the seed pod begins to split open, collect the seeds. I have tried to hand sow the seeds throughout the gardens, just to see what would happen. The answer is nothing, so I now collect the seeds. Rain Lily seeds prefer moist conditions to germinate. No bright sun, just the warmth of a window. I place soil in a shallow teacup. Little cups keep the moisture even without have too much area to overwhelm the seeds. Place the seeds on top of the soil and dust the top with a thin layer of soil. Water in well, and wait. For most lily seeds, little greenery begins to poke through after about 11 days. My newest little teacup full of Oxblood Lily seeds germinated within 5 days. Needless to say, I’m thrilled!

    Currently, I have about 6 different varieties of rain lilies in teacups scattered all through the Agape Haus Studio. It looks like a teacup-bomb has gone off. After about a year, I plant the lilies. Last year I made the mistake of over-wintering the little cups in my potting shed. We got a hard freeze and the baby bulbs froze. I have been known to love my favorite bulbs to death by trying to protect them from the elements. This mishap was placed at the very top of my garden-failings list. It definitely hurt my pride. Martha Stewart would never let that happen. Martha would probably be shaking her head in disapproval, as she uses her fine, Lenox china to germinate her lily seeds. I’m using the thrift store special. Luckily for me, I have so many garden mishaps, that my pride left years ago.

    After you plant your lilies, keep them well watered, and watch them grow into adulthood. Let me know if you have any questions, or if you are interested in the nice, old Oxblood Lily stock. I’m always happy to share.

    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl






  • Watching the Flowers Grow


    “Can we just sit down and watch the flowers grow?”

    My young son asked that poignant question almost 20 years ago, although it seems like just yesterday. That simple thought changed the way I looked at life. Watching flowers grow became a beautiful representation of a slower paced life. Life with purpose, casting off the burdens and thorns that seem to weigh us down. For many, a frantic quest to create meaning, life becomes packed full of an endless list of to-do’s. Life becomes too hurried to simply sit and watch a flower grow. Let’s face it…flower watching doesn’t quite pay the bills. In a hurried attempt to create meaning, it is easy to lose sight of the bloom.

    Heirloom Bulbs are unique compared to many other flowers in the garden. Most of these beautiful bulbs bloom just one time a year.
    Just once.

    Imagine if you miss it….

    I have learned a lot from these old gals. Heirloom Bulbs keep my eyes upon the beauty that could be blooming each new day. I have learned to discard quick fads and hold true to heirloom truths. I have learned to nurture something that others cannot see, frequently referred to as “just weeds”. I have learned to rejoice in the day that my flowers bloom, patiently waiting sometimes for years.

    Watching flowers grow can also be a bit painful. Droughts and floods come and go. Extreme temperatures can kill precious plants. Deer enjoy eating the delicious buds of a blooming bulb, especially in seasons of drought. Gophers chew on roots under the earth, and wreak havoc on the garden. Bulbs can also sulk and decide to just not bloom, for no apparent reason other than sheer stubbornness. In spite of it all, watching flowers during the hard seasons of life is still extremely important. Hope in the beauty of tomorrow is a quality that our world desperately needs. Walking alongside something (or someone) during all the different seasons is a gift. Although it is easier to just give up and drive to the nearest big box store to purchase some cheap, mass-produced quick color…..but what’s the fun in that?! You will ever see the beautiful redemptive spirit of the Oxblood Lily, or experience the inherent beauty of a field of Rain Lilies after a long season of drought.

    Today, I’m going to take the advice of my son and sit, and just watch my flowers. ….and then get to work with the long list of garden chores. 🙂
    Happy Gardening, my friends!
    Love, Keenan at Heirloombulbgirl